Church of the Kingdom of Acron

Priesthood

Typical Domain

Rank

Title

Kingdom

Royal Patriarchy/Matriarchy

Holy Lord/Lady

Province

Cardinal

Lord/Lady

County

Trinity Bishop

Master/Mistress

County

Diocese

Master/Mistress

(any)

Canon/Canoness

Loremaster/Loremistress

City

Bishop

Father/Mother

Town

Deacon

Father/Mother

Church

Priest/Priestess

Priest/Brother/Sister/etc...

Church

Pastor

Brother/Sister

(any)

Monk/Nun

Brother/Sister

Additional Ranks

Oracle

Oracles, often in counsel, act as advisors to the cleric that oversees them, using a wide array of divination techniques to seek spiritual guidance. They are typically assigned to Canons and above, serving wide regions of land, although sometimes a bishop might have an oracle.

Saint

Any rank Diocese and above may grant sainthood and a cleric of any rank may be granted sainthood. Monks, Nuns, and Pastors granted sainthood are automatically promoted to Priests or Priestesses. Although rare, laymen may occasionally be granted sainthood, and are then treated as monks or nuns. Saints are so entitled in response to virtuous deeds or lifetimes spent in great devotion to the gods and angels and their works. Except as noted above, they maintain their rank, but the esteem they are given grants them a wider range of mobility.

Missionary

Missionaries travel abroad and spread the word of the church and the ways of Acronian worship, or travel on humanitarian missions or to learn the ways of their assigned region. Any rank may be assigned as a missionary in which case the missionary loses their rank and are “rankless,” but maintain their title. They are often granted privileges similar to that of the rank of the cleric who assigned them to their mission and can only be given new orders from clerics of that rank or higher, or by a Priest / Priestess or higher when within his or her home domain.

Crusader

Crusaders are the militia of the church. The Church of Acron maintains a very small military arm, but it has one nonetheless. They are assigned to protect holy sites, large temples, or may occasionally accompany large humanitarian missions. Crusaders are given the title Brother or Sister. High ranking, senior crusaders are commissioned officers; they are given the rank Cavalier and given the title Uncle or Aunt.

Salt Cardinals and Salt Canons

Some Cardinals or Canons may be given the special duty of attending the World Synod of Craedock. Those chosen as ambassadors to represent the beliefs of Acron are permanently given the rank of Salt Cardinal or Salt Canon and maintain the honored rank even after they “retire” back into the mainland. Although their rank changes name, their title remains the same.

Notes on Selected Ranks

Canons are the secretarial workers of the church. They are the scribes and bookkeepers. The are present at formal hearings of high ranking clerics, and are charged with recording them. They keep record of holy decrees and are often charged with their dissemination. They are often charged with the memorization of a given tome of ancient holy scripture and are considered the final arbiters of their interpretation and may be introduced as the Canon of … followed by the title of their assigned tome.
Monks and Nuns are the laborers and workhands of the Church, charged with farming church lands and tending to the temples. They may be assigned to a cleric of any rank. Monks and Nuns sometimes take up the martial arts and are charged with protecting smaller holy sites or may be assigned to a unit of crusaders. Others are relieved of their duties to attend seminary, granted a new rank upon graduation based on their academic performance. Most new clergy enter the holy order at this rank, although some may be given special permission to enter the order as a Pastor. They are promoted upon completing a number of years of service, or may be selected for early promotion by council.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Location

Acron

© Dylan Eugene Wheeler 2018
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